


A New Life: The Budds and The Bourgeons

by madamehomesecretary, sunnyamazing



Series: Little Love [2]
Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: Baby Budd, F/M, Family Feels, Five Years Later, Fluffy fluff with some more fluff, France (Country)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamehomesecretary/pseuds/madamehomesecretary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyamazing/pseuds/sunnyamazing
Summary: Snapshots of daily life with David, Julia, and Charlotte.
Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague
Series: Little Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876591
Comments: 20
Kudos: 104





	1. A New Surprise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lavender_Budd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_Budd/gifts).



> SURPRISE! WE'RE BACK!
> 
> Hello, friends!
> 
> Since you all loved Charlotte so much, almost as much as we do, we’ve brought her and her extended family back for another adventure. This time as a gift to one of our favourite humans, the one and only, Kris! Happy birthday, girl!
> 
> The fact that we've been able to keep this a secret from her, well, that's been most surprising!
> 
> There will be three chapters again. We love our words!
> 
> xo, A & L

Julia glanced over her appearance in the mirror one last time as she turned to the side to look at her body in profile, her fingers tugging insistently at her swimsuit bottoms. 

She had almost tried this specific bikini on one more time before they had left for their weeklong trip to the South of France. But Charlotte had distracted her as she called for her mother from another room, and Julia had thrown the suit in her bag, assuming it would mostly fit the same as it had a few years before when she bought it. She should be about the same size for a bit longer… or so she thought.

She had been very, very wrong though. The top seemed to gape more than she remembered, showing off her abundant cleavage, and the bottoms felt more snug than before, the o-ring holding the black fabric together at the hip was less comfortable than it had been when she had last worn it. 

She knew she shouldn’t be surprised. It’s hardly like she and Charlotte had spent much time on beaches, or vacations at all, in her short little life. Maybe that’s why the little girl had been running around like a live wire full of electricity this morning, Julia realized with a little smile. Her daughter had never been anywhere like this before. 

She wondered if David had had much success helping Charlotte find her own little bathing suit among the scattered clothes in her room. For such a small child, she sure could be messy. 

Taking a deep breath, she shrugged off the insecurities that the bathing suit was bringing to the surface for her. It would be fine for this morning, but this afternoon, she would venture into town to find something more … suitable. 

Moving into their bedroom, Julia leaned over, beginning to pack the rest of her things in a beach bag. She had a large hat and a big pair of sunglasses, in addition to a water bottle, sunscreen and book she was sure Charlotte would never let her actually read. 

“The princess is ready for her first day at the beach,” David announced as he entered the room, chuckling at their daughter’s antics. “You know, I really can’t decide who she reminds me of more sometimes, you or me, but I think —”

Julia turned to face him and David’s words trailed off. 

“I think we’re going to have to tell her, David,” she said with a sigh, her hand coming to rest on her newly bloated stomach with a frown. 

“Where did  _ that _ come from?!” David asked in surprise, crossing to where she stood with her hands on her hips as he eyed her suddenly pronounced baby bump warily. 

“I swear,” Julia said, shaking her head. “I woke up this morning and it was there. He hasn’t been this  _ obvious _ before, has he? And you just didn’t tell me?” 

David shook his head quickly.

“No! And trust me, if anyone would know, it would be me!” He reminded her. “You weren’t even showing that much last night, and I had you bent over the —”

Julia held up her hand to stop him. 

“David,” she said warningly, her serious look fading as she watched the way his eyes lit up as he took a step back from her, his gaze settling on her stomach again. 

He reached for her then, one palm coming to rest on the small of her back while his fingers brushed against the small bump of her midsection. He knew she would get bigger as time went on, that it was really just beginning, but having been overseas for both of Vicky’s pregnancies and not getting to experience watching Julia’s pregnancy with Charlotte, he was suddenly struggling to find the right words. 

“I know … we said that we would just see what happened,” he murmured, watching as his fingers brushed slow over the bare skin of her stomach. “But I never thought it actually would…” 

His eyes looked up to meet Julia’s, who suddenly felt emotional at his open declaration of dismay. She knew this was as new for him as it was for her, and she offered him a bright smile, her hand coming to rest over his. 

“It’s happening, David,” she said softly. “We’re having a baby… I’m having your son.” 

She was thoughtful for a moment. 

“Four children under the same roof, David,” she said, chuckling at the mental image. “Are we mad for even attempting this?” 

David laughed, pulling her into his embrace and squeezing her to him as he kissed her bare shoulder. 

“Aye. But there is no one else I would even try to attempt it with,” he assured her. “Let’s look at this week’s vacation with Ella, Charlie and Lotte as our trial run,” he joked, and Julia shook her head. 

“Sure, just add a newborn to the mix this time next year… what could go wrong?” She murmured with a smirk as they both began to laugh. 

“I seem to recall you saying something like that when I returned to London for the first time to fetch Ella and Charlie,” David reminded her. “And look how well that turned out.” 

“Two teenagers and one small newborn are not the same thing, David.”

*******

_ Julia watched from the doorway of their bedroom as David reached onto the top shelf of the wardrobe, and pulled his overnight bag down. She held back a sigh. She knew he had to go, but she really didn’t want him to leave.  _

_ The three of them had been inseparable since he had accidentally stumbled upon them in the patisserie only one short month ago. David had collected his belongings from the hotel where he had been staying the same day, and brought them all to Julia and Charlotte’s flat. It had quickly become  _ their _ flat.  _

_ She smiled as she noticed his shirts hanging in one side of her wardrobe. They were tucked in next to one of her coats, a true representation of how quickly their lives had merged together. She wrinkled her nose in amusement as she noticed David had not bothered to pack anything into his bag. Instead, he simply shut the door and threw the bag over his left shoulder.  _

_ He turned to face her with a smile, winking at her as he caught her staring. “See something you like?” He questioned cheekily as he made his way over to her, reaching out for one of her hands.  _

_ She eyed him carefully.  _

_ “Always,” she whispered as he leaned in to press his lips to hers. She breathed deeply as he allowed the empty bag to fall to the floor, their kissing quickly becoming more passionate. “I don’t think we have enough time,” she murmured against his mouth as David’s hands wandered under the back of her shirt.  _

_ “I guess you’re right,” David groaned as he pulled away from her, giving her lips one last peck as she placed an open palm on his chest.  _

_ “I do have one question, however…” she began as she reached out and traced his jawline with one of her fingernails. He hadn’t had time to shave this morning and she loved the feeling of his stubble underneath her hands.  _

Who was she kidding? She loved everything about him _.  _

_ “Aye,” he replied, internally cursing that they didn’t have time for what they had come to refer to as ‘Mama and Papa time’ in front of their all too clever daughter.  _

_ “You’re taking an empty bag?” Julia questioned as she tapped the bag with one of her toes, watching as it slid across the floor weightlessly.  _

_ “I have clothes to bring back,” David answered before he gestured toward her wardrobe with one thumb. “You’re going to need to make more room for me in there.”  _

_ Julia narrowed her eyes and frowned.  _

_ “Surely,” David began with a smile, “one person doesn’t need all those coats.”  _

_ “I like my coats,” Julia answered quickly.  _

_ “I prefer you out of them,” David replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned back in to place a soft kiss to Julia’s lips. She smiled against his mouth as she bit down on his bottom lip, as their kiss deepened. He let out a sound of surprise before she sucked his lip into her mouth.  _

_ “Papaaaa!” Charlotte yelled from the other room, her voice getting louder, and the two of them moved apart slightly as their daughter joined them. “The doorbell rang,” she announced as she moved to stand between her parents.  _

_ Her hands reached for David and he leaned down to lift her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her temple.  _

_ “Thank you, little love,” he answered. “Your Mama was being very distracting.”  _

_ Julia stifled a laugh as Charlotte whipped her head backward to stare at her mother with contempt. “Don’t start this again,” she told David as she reached to tickle at one of Charlotte’s feet.  _

_ The little girl giggled before she reached out for Julia’s hand and pushed her fingers away from her. Her little face grew serious as she reached out and placed both of her palms on either side of David’s face. “Papa, do you really have to leave?” the little girl questioned sadly. “Mama and I don’t want you to go.” _

_ Julia sucked in a breath at her daughter’s candid honesty, and David smiled softly as his eyes met Julia’s above the little girl’s head. “Aye,” he whispered leaning in to kiss Charlotte once more. “I do,” he responded with a nod, not missing how his daughter’s lip dropped into her chin. He hated the feeling of sadness that look brought him, and Charlotte had become an expert in using it to her advantage. It usually yielded her an extra hour of time before being sent to bed or another scoop of ice cream, much to Julia’s chagrin.  _

_ “Mama,” Charlotte paused as she reached out for the comfort of her mother’s embrace and Julia smiled as she took the small girl into her arms. Charlotte buried her head into Julia’s neck and breathed deeply, her fingers gripping the collar of Julia’s shirt tightly.  _

_ David stroked Charlotte’s back softly and she turned back to face him. “I promise,” he reassured her. “I am coming back very, very soon.”  _

_ Charlotte considered his promise carefully. Her Papa had been very good at doing what he said he would do. She leaned into her Mama and kissed her neck. Her Mama had been the most important person in her life, but her Papa had very quickly moved to the top of her list, as well.  _

_ “Will you bring me a present from London?” she questioned as she wriggled out of Julia’s arms and down to the floor.  _

_ David smirked at her as she stared up at him, blinking her bright blue eyes charmingly. He leaned down and picked up his bag, handing it to his daughter. “As long as you carry this downstairs for me,” he explained as Charlotte jumped from side to side on her toes. “Thank you,” he added as Charlotte disappeared from the bedroom and he and Julia heard her thunder down the stairs toward the front door.  _

_ “Mama!” Charlotte yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “I cannot open the door.”  _

_ Julia sighed as she tilted her head toward the sound of her daughter’s voice. “We’d better go and help her,” she explained. “Or she will be climbing on the furniture again,” she added as she started to leave the room.  _

_ David laughed as he followed closely behind Julia. “Charlotte,” he warned as the two of them found their daughter precariously balanced on a chair, reaching for the lock at the top of the door.  _

_ “Sorry,” Charlotte mumbled under her breath as she jumped down from her place atop the chair as David leaned over the top of her head and opened the door.  _

_ The little girl raced into the street and toward the waiting cab, carrying David’s large, empty bag in her small arms.  _

_ David followed and helped Charlotte place the bag into the backseat of the cab. Julia watched as David leaned down and kissed her again as Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. “Come back soon, please, Papa,” she announced loudly before she was then distracted by a dog walker and five dogs of differing shapes and sizes wandering past her.  _

_ “Chien Mama, chien!” she exclaimed, her eyes never leaving the animals as the dog walker continued down the street. _

_ Julia smiled at her daughter wistfully as David returned to stand beside her. He reached out for one of her hands and squeezed tightly. “I’m coming back,” he whispered as he leaned into her neck, kissing underneath her earlobe.  _

_ “I know,” Julia gulped, trying to hold back her overwhelming emotions. She knew this was not like the last time the two of them had been separated, but still she couldn’t help the nerves that had taken up residence in her stomach since he had decided to return to London for a short time to make arrangements for his move to France.  _

_ David nudged her with one of his shoulders and she turned her head to look at him, giving him a sad smile. “You don’t wobble,” he reassured her, and she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face at his teasing. _

_ “I know,” she replied as she squeezed his hand in hers tightly as she tilted her head and stared at him. “I’ll just miss you,” she admitted softly.  _

_ “I love you,” he whispered with a nod. “I will call you from St. Pancras,” he reminded her as he leaned in to kiss her once more.  _

_ “I love you, too,” she echoed as Charlotte returned to stand beside her parents.  _

_ The little girl reached up for her mother once more, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Julia leaned down and hoisted her daughter into her arms, making a noise of disdain at how quickly her daughter was growing. Charlotte wiggled carefully as she clambered to make herself comfortable, resting on Julia’s hip.  _

_ “Baisers, Papa,” Charlotte reminded her father as he leaned in to kiss her tiny cheek. “You will call Mama every day,” she instructed, nodding her head quickly and making her chestnut curls bounce.  _

_ “Every day. Promise,” David said quickly as he heard the driver of the cab cough loudly. He squeezed Julia’s hand again and then kissed her one last time before he turned to the cab and climbed into the backseat.  _

_ Julia and Charlotte both waved and watched as the cab disappeared down the Parisian street. Julia couldn’t help the heavy sigh that escaped her lips. Charlotte turned to look at her mother, and stroked her cheek gently. “Mama?” she asked. “May we go to the park today?” _

_ Julia smiled and squeezed her daughter tightly in her arms. “Yes, my little love,” she answered. “But first you need to clean up the mess you and your Papa left in the kitchen when you made breakfast this morning.”  _

_ Charlotte turned her head backwards to look to where her father had departed. She sighed loudly before she pouted slightly. “He should’ve helped!”  _

_ Julia shook her head with a slight grin as she placed Charlotte back onto the ground watching as the little girl started to race inside and up the stairs. Julia took one last look out toward where David had disappeared, just as her phone beeped in her back pocket. Opening the message, she smiled.  _ **_I love you._ **

_ No, this was not going to be like their last separation at all.  _

_ ***** _

_ Julia stood in her kitchen sipping her tea slowly. She was enjoying her last few moments of solitude before Charlotte was due to wake up. When it was just the two of them for all those years, these few moments alone before dawn were the time where she allowed herself to remember who she used to be and the life she once led.  _

_ Now, since David had returned to her life, these moments of solitude didn’t seem so maudlin. In the almost two weeks that he had been back in London, the two of them had spoken each morning. Sometimes he would call her, other times she would call him. Some of the phone calls had included Ella and Charlie and one call had even involved Vicky. Once the three of them had gotten over the initial shock of Julia being alive and also having hidden herself and a child away for so long, the conversation had flowed easily. Julia had to admit she had been terribly nervous about the whole situation. But her daily calls from London had been very reassuring. They had reminded her that the most important thing was that they had each other back in their lives, and all the additional adventures (and chaos!) that three children and a blended family was to behold.  _

_ Most of the time the call would end with Charlotte excitedly regaling David with tales of what she and Julia had been up to, and reminding David not to forget her presents. Julia grimaced as she turned to look at the glittering mess Charlotte had made last night. The little girl had been determined to make a sign for her father and siblings before she had gone to bed. Julia had needed to bathe Charlotte three times to remove the glitter from her hair and underneath her fingernails.  _

_ Glitter was not Julia’s favorite thing. She had managed to keep Charlotte away from it so far, and as Julia moved to stare at her glitter-covered floor, she knew why. David had been the one to bring glitter into the Bourgeon home, when he and Charlotte had taken a ‘Papa and Charlotte’ day, which had ended with the two of them in an arts and crafts store. Charlotte had (unfortunately) discovered glitter for the first time that day.  _

_ Leaving her tea on the counter, Julia sighed as she searched her kitchen cupboard for something to put Charlotte’s glittering piece of artwork in. She finally settled on a large paper bag that had been previously used to carry bread home from the market. She carefully opened the bag and was about to slide the sign into the bag when she heard the sound of Charlotte’s footsteps approaching.  _

_ “Mama!” Charlotte exclaimed as she entered the kitchen, her bare feet padding the wooden floor loudly. “You need to be careful!” She reminded her, rubbing at her eyes sleepily as she blinked a few times.  _

_ Julia smiled as she turned to face her daughter. She opened her arms wide and the little girl launched herself into her embrace, kissing her sloppily. “Bonjour, mon petit amour,” Julia whispered in Charlotte’s ear as she lifted her up and into her arms.  _

_ “Bonjour, Mama,” Charlotte giggled. “My sign is very pretty, right, Mama?” _

_ Julia nodded. “Your Papa will love it!” Julia reassured her.  _

_ “Look at all the glitter on the floor, Mama,” Charlotte said with a little giggle, pointing down at the floorboards and the layer of yellow sparkles.  _

_ “You are going to need a very large broom to clean all of that up,” Julia reminded Charlotte as she leaned in to kiss her daughter’s cheek.  _

_ “But Mama,” Charlotte protested. “I am Charlotte, not Cinderella!” _

_ Julia couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. Charlotte tilted her head then and looked toward where Julia’s phone was charging by the kettle. “Papa is not on the phone today?”  _

_ Julia shook her head.  _

_ “He had to leave early this morning, remember? We were sleeping as he was leaving London.”  _

_ “And Ella and Charlie are coming, too?” _

_ “Yes, little Lotte,” Julia answered. “Ella and Charlie will be with your Papa,” she added as she lowered Charlotte back down to her feet and the little girl scampered to her place at the table.  _

_ “May I please have toast this morning?” Charlotte questioned as she began to trace patterns on the table with one of her fingers.  _

_ Julia nodded. “Of course,” she answered as she moved towards the kitchen counter and lowered two slices of bread into the toaster.  _

_ “Mama?” Charlotte questioned. “How long until Papa is here?” _

_ Julia raised her head to check the time on the kitchen wall. “He will be on the train now,” she explained. “They will arrive in just a little over an hour.”  _

_ “An hour?” Charlotte exclaimed with a frown. “That is a very long time!”  _

_ Julia stopped for a moment as the toast popped up from the toaster, and she buttered the bread and then added a thin layer of jam before placing it down in front of Charlotte. She leaned down to play with one of Charlotte’s curls as her daughter tilted her head to look up at her. “How would you like to go to the station and meet your Papa at his train?”  _

_ The question was asked cautiously, and before Julia could stop herself. _

_ She watched as Charlotte’s bright blue eyes beamed. “I would love that, Mama!” she cried and she quickly began to eat her breakfast as fast as she could.  _

  
  


_ A short time later, Julia stood outside the main entrance of Gare du Nord. The station was bustling with commuters and Julia held tight to Charlotte’s fingers in hers nervously. She adjusted her beret with one hand and then raised the collar of her trench coat around her neck. It was a rare event for her to be in such a location with so many people and she tried desperately to hide her discomfort from Charlotte.  _

_ The two of them had hailed a cab just outside their flat after they had eaten their breakfast, and dressed much faster than normal. As the cab had driven them toward the station, Julia wondered if she was doing the right thing in being so brazenly out in the open. But when Charlotte had said how long an hour was, Julia realised that she, too, wanted to see David as soon as possible.  _

_ “Mama?” Charlotte questioned as she gently pulled on the belt of Julia’s coat. “I cannot see Papa,” she added in confusion as she balanced precariously on her tiptoes, trying to see over the tall people around her.  _

_ Julia smiled and squeezed Charlotte’s hand. “We need to go this way,” she explained as the two of them dodged a family with five suitcases. “Your Papa will be here very soon.”  _

_ Charlotte stood at the end of the platform and waited patiently, looking for any sign of David. Julia kept sneaking glances around at the passers-by. She was always on edge when she and Charlotte were out in public places. Such was the life she had signed up for when she disappeared and claimed to have succumbed to her injuries obtained at St. Matthews College, all those years ago.  _

_ So far, no one had taken a second glance in her direction. She and Charlotte had simply slipped into the crowd of people without notice. She turned her head to the side as she checked behind her once again, relieved nothing seemed untoward. A young woman stood beside her and Charlotte and as Julia moved her gaze back to the platform, the blonde smiled at her politely.  _

_ Julia gave her a small nod and held her breath as she waited to see if she was recognised. But none came and Julia allowed her breathing to return to normal. Perhaps it was not so dangerous for her to be out in public places any longer and as she had explained to David, perhaps the world really had forgotten about her by now.  _

_ “Papa is here!” Charlotte announced excitedly as Julia squinted to see if she could see as far as Charlotte appeared to be able to. Her daughter tugged at her coat with more force than before as Julia caught her first sight of the Eurostar beginning to shunt into the platform.  _

_ “Elle est excitée,” the woman beside Julia commented and Julia nodded happily, offering the stranger a genuine smile. For the first time in a long time, Julia felt comfortable being out of her comfort zone.  _

_ “Lotte,” Julia said quietly as she leaned down to whisper in her daughter’s ear. “You need to be patient and remember there are lots of people getting off this train. It could be a few moments still before you see your Papa, okay?” _

_ “Okay, Mama. I will do my best,” she promised, nodding, as she held tightly to her sign in one of her small hands.  _

_ The two of them watched as the train came to a stop and the doors opened. Julia squeezed Charlotte’s fingers in hers as the arriving guests met with their friends and family on the platform. Julia sensed Charlotte’s impatience, or perhaps it was the other way around and Charlotte sensed her mother’s, as they shuffled along the banister separating them from the platform. _

_ Julia was sure she felt her heart skip a beat in her chest as she first noticed the Budd children step from the train and onto the platform. Ella was first; she appeared to be far older than she had in their video calls. Her long hair was tied in a bun on her head and she dragged a suitcase from the carriage. Julia saw her groan audibly as the bag landed with a thud. Charlie appeared next, his dark hair sticking up at odd angles. He only carried a small backpack, slung over one of his shoulders and he jumped from the carriage, landing next to Ella’s suitcase with a laugh. He saw Julia first and nudged his sister’s side and the three of them smiled at one another from across the station. _

_ Julia watched as their attention moved quickly to Charlotte and the two older children waved at their half-sister. Julia held back the tears she had begun to feel prickling at the back of her eyes. She had had no idea how David’s children would take to the idea of a new little sister and felt relieved that, so far, the two of them seemed happy. Julia felt Charlotte cling to her side and she moved her attention to look at her daughter. She ruffled her curls and smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay, Charlotte,” she whispered as she began to hold her arms out for Charlotte to climb into.  _

_ Charlotte considered her mother’s offer of her embrace and was about to accept when the pair of them caught sight of David at the same time. He appeared in the middle of Ella and Charlie as his suitcase landed with an even louder sound than Ella’s had, and Julia beamed happily.  _

_ Charlotte let go of her mother immediately and hurtled toward David. “Papa!” she squealed as loudly as she could, discarding her glitter covered sign on the ground and running as fast as her little legs would carry her to David’s embrace.  _

_ David crouched down as he spotted the bundle of curls headed his way. He opened his arms and laughed as Charlotte leaped into his arms. He lifted her from the ground, spinning her around in a circle. He kissed her tiny cheek as she threw her arms around his neck. “Papa!” she cried. “You came back! I missed you!” she added as she nuzzled into the space between his neck and chest. “Mama missed you too,” she added quietly as Julia came over to join them all.  _

_ Julia felt her stomach flip as David reached for one of her hands, interlocking their fingers as he squeezed tightly, leaning forward as he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to lean into him and kiss him until they were both breathless, but she had decided that was not the best way for her to be introduced to Ella and Charlie in person for the first time.  _

_ Still holding tight to David’s hand, she turned to face the two teenagers and smiled at them both warmly. “Hello,” she began as she released David’s fingers from hers. “Welcome to Paris you two.”  _

_ “Thank you,” Ella replied politely. “We’re happy to be here,” she said with a pause before she moved to look at Charlotte, who David had just placed back on the ground. “It is lovely to meet you both in person,” Ella added as Charlotte timidly moved to hide behind Julia’s legs shyly. _

_ Julia reached out for Ella’s hand and squeezed tightly. She wanted to throw her arms around the teenager, something Julia Montague would never have even considered five years ago. Julia leaned down and placed her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, gently encouraging her to approach her siblings. _

_ “Do you have a bear?” Charlie asked Charlotte from his position next to Ella. He leaned down as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small hat, adorned with the Union Jack. “Dad,” he began as he gestured towards a smiling David, “told me you had a bear, but he doesn’t have a hat! Ella and I --”  _

_ “Mr. Bear,” Charlotte said with a small smile as she took one step closer to Charlie. She stared at him quizzically. “His name is Mr. Bear,” she added. “But he stayed at home sleeping. He does not have a hat. You are right,” she answered shly.  _

_ “He does now!” Charlie exclaimed and Julia found herself holding back a laugh. It seemed as if Charlotte and Charlie shared the same exuberance for life, something they must have both inherited from their father.  _

_ Julia encouraged Charlotte to take another step closer to Charlie. “Merci,” she said with a smile as she held out an open palm as Charlie placed the hat in her hands. “Mr. Bear will love a hat, won’t he, Mama?” she questioned as she turned back to look at Julia.  _

_ Julia nodded proudly and Charlotte entangled herself from behind her mother’s legs and moved closer to her siblings. “Do you have any bears in those bags?” she questioned curiously as she eyed Ella and Charlie’s luggage carefully.  _

_ Charlie shook his head and laughed. “I only have clothes,” he answered. “But I have no idea what Ella packed,” he teased his older sister as he held his hand out towards Charlotte.  _

_ Ella ignored her brother and rolled her eyes as she leaned down to hook her suitcase in one hand and then held out the other toward Charlotte as well.  _

_ Charlotte took one glance back at her Mama and Papa, and both Julia and David nodded at her encouragingly. She tucked the new hat for Mr. Bear in her pocket carefully, and then placed each of her hands in one of her siblings’ hands.  _

_ The three of them began to head for the exit of the platform together, the two older Budds being careful to keep a close hold of Charlotte’s tiny hands.  _

_ Julia breathed a happy sigh as she turned to look at David. He smiled at her and leaned in to press his lips to hers for the first time in nearly two weeks.  _

_ “I missed you too,” he whispered into her embrace as one of his hands moved to grab possessively at her hip, pulling her close to him as he kissed her again.  _

_ “I’m still not dreaming am I?” Julia questioned in between kisses. _

_ David shook his head as he moved to kiss at her neck. “Feels pretty real to me,” he reassured her as he reached to close his fingers in hers again.  _

_ “Mama!” Charlotte called as she turned her head back to look for her parents. She shook her head as she rolled her eyes conspiratorially, leaning toward her new siblings.  _

_ “Mama and Papa,” she began with a groan. “They do a lot of kissing.”  _


	2. A Day in the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte learns she is going to be a big sister! And she’s a little torn about it (at first). But nothing keeps Charlotte Genevieve down for long!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your kind words about the return of Charlotte and her little (growing) family! 
> 
> It may not be the most in character series we’ve ever written, but it sure is fun to dream up this little life for them. Plus, who doesn’t need a bit of an escape right now? 
> 
> So, without any more delay, here is chapter two! Where a certain spunky little girl finds out she is going to be a big sister. 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy it! ❤️

Mama!” Charlotte cried out loudly, running into the room as fast as her little legs would carry her. 

“Mon Petit Chou!” Julia cried out, momentarily forgetting about her rather prominent bump as she took in the little girl’s appearance. “You look like you are ready for the beach!”

She was wearing the pink, ruffled one piece David had helped her find, along with flip flops with flamingos on them and a pair of yellow childrens’ sunglasses that were entirely too big for her small, round face. She had her unicorn backpack already on, and looked more than ready to go. Julia couldn’t help the little smirk that pulled at her lips at David’s attempt to put her curly waves into a ponytail. 

“I _am_ ready, Mama!” Charlotte told her matter-of-factly. “What is taking you and Papa so long?” She asked, turning to look at David, then back at Julia. “I want to go to the --” 

She stopped as her eyes fell to Julia’s stomach, widening at what she saw. 

“Mama!” She said, her mouth hanging open, and Julia stifled a laugh at the similar reaction she had gotten from her daughter’s father. “It looks like you have a baby in your belly!” Charlotte finally said, pointing to Julia’s stomach. 

Julia’s gaze met David’s, who gave her a little shrug. They had been hoping to wait a bit longer to tell Charlotte about the baby, until Julia was further along and they could make sure everything was going as planned … just in case. But it looked like that was unavoidable now. 

“Well, my little love,” Julia began, suddenly feeling nervous about Charlotte’s reaction. “That’s because Mama does have a baby in her belly,” she told her, offering her a bright smile. “What do you think about that?” She asked, watching as the wheels in the little girl’s head began to turn. 

Charlotte turned to face David, looking suddenly unsure. “There’s a _baby_ in there?” She repeated, pointing to Julia’s stomach as she looked expectantly up at her father. 

David and Julia both laughed. 

“You don’t believe your Mama, Charlotte?” David asked, coming to kneel next to her and the little girl was quiet for a long minute. 

“But I thought I was your baby?” She asked, looking up at Julia, sounding sad. 

Julia frowned. 

“Charlotte,” she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching for the little girl who climbed into her lap without hesitation. Removing her sunglasses from her face and putting them down on the bed next to her, she grasped the little girl’s face in her hands. 

“You will _always_ be my baby,” she reassured her gently, reaching down and brushing a stray curl from her face as her eyes met David’s where he was kneeling in front of them. “Papa’s, too,” she added quickly. 

David reached out, nodding and stroking the little girl’s arm in agreement.

“You’ll always be _our_ baby,” he repeated, “but now you’ll have a new brother to share things with, too! Just like you do with Ella and Charlie … except now _you_ get to be the big sister to your brother!” 

“A _big_ _sister_?” Charlotte said breathlessly, as if the concept had just occurred to her. “To a _baby_ brother?”

Julia nodded quickly, hoping to steady the girl’s nerves with her reassurance.

“Can he come now?” she asked suddenly, and Julia watched as her eyes began to light up with excitement. David and Julia exchanged a look and laughed. 

“No, we don’t want him to come just yet, darling,” Julia reminded her. “We need him to finish growing first, but then he’ll be here. Soon, I promise.”

Reaching out, Charlotte placed her little hand flat on Julia’s stomach. 

“I can’t wait until he gets here,” she said softly, staring down at her hand. “I’m going to play with him, and take care of him, and love him.”

Julia softened at the little girl’s statement, suddenly finding it hard to find the right words.

“James,” David told her with a little smile, and Charlotte spun to look at him in surprise. 

“That’s his name?” she asked, her hand still not moving from its place on Julia’s stomach.

“Yes, that’s his name,” Julia told her. “James Alexander Bourgeon, just like your name.” 

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. 

“James,” she whispered the name under her breath. Her eyes lit up as she crawled from Julia’s lap. “I have to go tell Ella and Charlie I’m going to be a big sister!” She said excitedly, running from the room. 

Julia shook her head, breathing a sigh of relief. She felt as if they had dodged a rather spontaneous bullet with their daughter’s reaction. 

David got to his feet and offered both hands to Julia, pulling her up from the bed as he wrapped her in his embrace. 

“Do you think we should tell her they already knew?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder at where Charlotte had disappeared to find Ella and Charlie, his lips skimming the top of Julia’s head.

“Don’t you dare!” She said with a laugh. “We better hurry, before Charlotte decides to go to the beach without us.”

She took one more sidelong glance at her reflection in the mirror before she slipped her cover up on, thankful for the extra layer that made James’ recent appearance a little less obvious. 

*****

_Ella and Charlie were so good with Charlotte. Not that she’d had any doubt they would be, but seeing David’s two oldest children with the little girl who reminded her so much of him had Julia feeling all sorts of emotions._

_Rubbing some of her favorite lotion between her hands as she sat at her vanity, Julia was thoughtful as she began to rub the gently scented cream between her palms. French lavender, how ironic. She rolled her eyes at herself as her hands came to rub the lotion into the skin of her forearms beneath her silk robe._

_She glanced into the mirror as David entered the room, and she offered him a sated smile. It had been a long day with the children as they had headed into the city to do a bit of sightseeing._

_“All 3 of them are out like a light,” he told her, falling back onto the bed with a tired sigh. If he thought having two children was exhausting, adding a third to the mix was certainly anything but boring. But he had to admit, seeing Ella and Charlie, and how good they were with a sister they hadn’t even known about a few months beforehand certainly made him proud._

_“Charlotte fell asleep in bed with Ella reading her a story,” he told Julia, feeling his eyes drift closed as he spoke. “Charlie covered them both with a blanket before he went to his room, I think,” he said, another little smile curling at the corner of his lips._

_Standing up, she removed her robe, leaving it hanging on the back of her chair. She didn’t miss the way David’s eyes popped open at the sound of the rustling fabric and she smirked._

_“You look tired,” she murmured, her voice gentle as she slinked over to the bed slowly._

_“Aye, I am. Thanks, love,” he said with a sarcastic laugh._

_She shook her head._

_“I was just thinking that it might be good for you … to get some rest,” she said, her tone still low as she slid into the bed next to him, clearly playing the role of seductress._

_“Fat chance of that with you laying next to me wearing that,” he pointed out, and Julia grinned. Her choice of nightwear might have been intentional. It was a nightie that she knew that David quite liked._

_Leaning forward, she placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing it against the stubble she found there. He seemed to go more time without shaving these days, and she couldn’t say she minded it. Watching him close his eyes as her fingers stroked his jawline, she knew he couldn’t resist her much longer._

_He had hardly been away for two weeks while he settled things in London before he brought the kids back with him, but even that had been far too long for Julia since their reunion. She had gotten used to him holding her again at night as she fell asleep, and feeling his lips against her temple first thing in the morning as he kissed her awake, and … well, there were certainly other things she had missed, too._

_Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his and was rewarded instantly with a groan that slipped from his mouth of its own volition. She grinned at the noise, bringing her other hand up to frame his face as they continued to kiss. He had only been back for a couple of days now, but they had fallen right back into the pattern they had settled into before he had left._

_David was finding himself especially grateful to have Ella and Charlie to keep their eyes on Charlotte when he wanted time alone with Julia._

_“We should have another one,” he blurted out before he could stop himself, and Julia’s brow creased in confusion._

_“Another what?” She asked, pulling away to look at him curiously._

_He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. They had only been back in each other’s lives for such a short period of time, but seeing Juila and Charlotte together did something to his heart that he just couldn’t explain._

_“Have you … ever thought about having another child?” He asked, his face suddenly feeling heated as he waited for her answer. This was a mistake._

_“Sorry?” Julia said quickly, sure she had heard him wrong. And also unsure how she had gone from seducing the man she loved to having a conversation about her having another baby._

_“I know, it was rotten timing,” David said, rubbing the back of his neck as he met Julia’s eyes that were full of confusion. “I’ve just been thinking about it a lot the last couple of days … and it slipped out,” he explained. “I didn’t mean to bring it up now…”_

_“Not now as in while we have two teenagers and a five-year-old in this flat that is entirely too small for all of us? Or not now as in not in this exact moment?” She asked, her eyes narrowing as she took in his demeanor.  
_

_“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”_

_David nodded, glancing out the window before he turned his attention back to Julia._

_“Listen, if you’re not interested, I’ll drop it and we won’t discuss it again,” he said seriously, and he meant it. “But I was just wondering … if the thought had crossed your mind…”_

_Julia was quiet for a long minute looking down at her hands._

_“We’ve certainly had the opportunity,” David joked, trying to lift the mood. Julia didn’t say anything. He frowned, reaching for her hand and squeezing it in his own._

_“Julia, we absolutely don’t have to even consider it,” he said quickly. “It’s just … having them all here under one roof, and seeing how Charlotte loves having her siblings around … you can’t tell me that the thought hasn’t at least crossed your mind, can you?”_

_“No,” Julia answered softly, though David wasn’t sure what the word was in response to. He squeezed her hand again, encouraging her to continue. “I mean, of course I’ve thought about it,” she finally said, turning her body toward David. “You know me, David. I never planned to get pregnant with Charlotte. Far from it,” she reminded him. “Children weren’t ever something that I really thought were in the cards for me. It wasn’t a goal of mine to be a mother … I’m not saying no,” she added quickly, her eyes coming to meet his._

_“But … there’s a lot to consider,” she reminded him, and he nodded slowly, waiting for her to elaborate. “First of all, there’s my age,” she pointed out with a sigh and David frowned._

_“Julia, you’re 46, not 85,” he reminded her, and she rolled her eyes._

_“I would be 47 by the time a baby came!” she pointed out dryly._

_“Women have babies all the time when they’re …” He trailed off, not sure of the right words to use._

_“You can say old, David,” she said with a laugh. “I won’t be offended by the truth.”_

_“I was going to say_ **_older_ ** _,” he corrected, making a face at her._

_She gave him a knowing look and shook her head, continuing. “No matter what way you were going to say it, there is a lot of risk involved with being pregnant ‘at my age,’” she said, putting air quotes around the words._

_“Not to mention, we’re exhausted by the 16-year-old, 14-year-old and five-year-old we currently have sleeping down the hall already,” she pointed out. “You mean to tell me that you want to add a newborn to that?”_

_Julia had to admit she was a bit surprised that David had brought this up in the first place. She had never imagined having one child, let alone two. Charlotte had quickly become the light of her life, but to do it all over…_

_Then again..._

_She caught herself thinking the words before she could help it. She hadn’t had David around to help her last time.... This wouldn’t be like with Charlotte. She wouldn’t be a single mother having to do everything on her own._

_She chewed at her lip, a sure sign of her obvious nerves and uncertainty._

_“You really want this, don’t you?” she asked quietly after a minute and David shrugged._

_“I like the idea,” he told her. “Doesn’t mean it has to happen… Charlotte has loved having her siblings here as built-in playmates. I’m sure we would love having a younger brother or sister who would be here with her all the time… And I’ll be here to help you,” he reminded her._

_She smiled softly as his hand reached out to brush a stray hair from her face._

_“Let’s at least think about it…” he said, leaning forward and kissing her lips, and Julia nodded slowly. “Are you open to that?”_

_“I’ll think it over … and in a few months, if we decide that’s what we want, we’ll give it a go and see what happens,” she suggested. “Not necessarily trying, but not necessarily not trying either.”_

_David nodded in agreement._

_“Deal,” he said, sliding over next to her and kissing her on the lips, his intentions clear._

_Julia smirked as she pushed him away gently, leaving him on his side of the bed._

_“Oh no you don’t,” she said with a knowing grin. “If you’re getting me pregnant again, it’s certainly not happening tonight. This discussion has that shop closed for business,” she told him, laughing at the incredulous look on his face._

_“But Julia!” He protested, and she smirked._

_“Good night, David,” she said sweetly, rolling over onto her side so she was facing away from him, her grin widening as she heard him fall back against his pillow with a huff._

******

Julia sighed softly as she lay back in the sun lounger, tilting her neck to one side as she attempted to make herself comfortable underneath the umbrella. She had managed to shade the top half of her body and still allow her legs to be warmed by the sunshine. 

She wondered how long it had been since she had had a day lounging in the sun. There was one memorable trip when she was married… she shook her head. That was a long time ago, a whole lifetime ago, with an old identity. It was certainly not a time of her life that she missed. 

She slipped her hand underneath Charlotte’s unicorn towel, which she had borrowed to protect her suddenly rounded abdomen. She lazily began to trace patterns over the small swell, tickling at her skin with one of her fingernails. “Now,” she whispered toward her stomach. “Your big sister knows all about you. So, you had better make sure you behave in there.” She warned her son as she rolled her knuckles over her stomach. She remembered doing the same thing when she was pregnant with Charlotte and it brought her the same sense of comfort it did five years earlier. It was odd; the first time she was pregnant, everything had felt so new and scary and even though there was the added complication of her being even older now, this time did feel completely different. 

David had been right, although she was unlikely to tell him that just yet. She shuffled along in her seat, crossing one of her legs over the other and allowed her eyes to flutter closed. Everyone was always telling her to take advantage of the moments where she was able to rest, so she decided to listen. 

She isn’t sure how long has passed when she hears familiar voices. 

“Charlotte,” Ella called as they approached the area of the beach they had claimed a few hours earlier. “Be careful,” she added as she noticed Julia’s peaceful appearance. “I think your Mama is sleeping.” 

“Okay, Ella!” Charlotte answered loudly as she continued to run at breakneck speed towards where her mother was laying. 

Julia blinked as she felt a small wet hand patting along one of her arms, followed closely by a small, wet body snuggling into the side of the sun lounger. 

“I’m so sorry, Julia,” Ella apologised as the teenager caught up to her little sister and shook her head at the girl who had now ensconced herself safely beside her mother. 

Julia adjusted her position as she made room for Charlotte on the lounger. “It’s fine,” she reassured Ella as she lowered her sunglasses and smiled at her warmly. “Has she been behaving herself?” she questioned as she played with the end of Charlotte’s wet ponytail. 

“I have been very good, Mama,” Charlotte answered quickly.

“I believe I was asking your sister, Little Lotte,” Julia reminded the little girl, as she reached down to tickle her daughter’s neck. Charlotte giggled as she fixed her big sister with a look. 

Ella nodded her head. “She _has_ been very good,” she reassured. “We’ve been playing in the shallows.”

“We found a crab, Mama,” Charlotte remembered as she held out one of her hands and wiggled her fingers pretending to walk along Julia’s arms like the crustacean. “We left him in the water though,” she added as both Julia and Ella chuckled. 

“That was a very good idea,” Julia replied with a smile. She was pleased that the girls had not returned with any new crawling friends. 

“Julia,” Ella began as she shuffled on her feet in the sand. Julia looked up at the teenager expectantly. “Is it okay if Charlotte stays with you now?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you,” Ella replied with a wide smile. “Dad and Charlie have gone further out swimming and I wanted to join them,” she explained. “But I wanted to check that you would be okay first.”

Julia felt her stomach flutter at Ella’s kind gesture. She was extremely grateful for the relationship she had been able to create with David’s older children and how welcoming they had been to both her and their much younger half-sister. Julia nodded and Ella smiled again and then disappeared back down the beach. Julia raised her head slightly as she watched her go. She waited until she saw Ella join David and Charlie where the waves were beginning to break and then she turned her attention back to her daughter who was yawning loudly beside her. 

“Are you having fun at the beach, little love?” Julia questioned as she felt Charlotte shuffle closer into her embrace. 

“I am,” Charlotte answered. “Mama,” she began, sounding frustrated, as she moved her tiny hand underneath the towel, pulling it from Julia’s stomach carefully. 

Julia moved to one side as Charlotte dropped the towel to the sand below. “What are you doing?” She questioned her daughter curiously as Charlotte wriggled back to her once more. 

“My baby brother needs sun,” Charlotte explained with a little nod of her head. 

“He does?” Julia asked with surprise as she felt Charlotte’s hand slowly wander over her stomach once more. 

“Yes, Mama,” Charlotte answered defiantly. “I like the sun and he’s my brother, so he likes the sun, too.” 

Julia suppressed a laugh at Charlotte’s reasoning as she reached for her daughter’s other hand, squeezing her fingers in hers tightly. “Your Mama likes the sun, too.”

“Can I talk to James, Mama?” Charlotte questioned as she squeezed her mother’s hand. “Can he hear me?”

“Of course you can talk to him,” Julia answered quickly, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “But, he won’t be able to talk back yet.” 

Charlotte considered her mother’s response carefully, before she moved her face closer to Julia’s stomach. “Hello,” she said softly, her small hand pressed gently against Julia’s stomach. “I’m your big sister, Charlotte Genevieve. You have another big sister too, her name is Ella,” Charlotte paused for a moment, as she chewed on her lower lip. “We also have a big brother, his name is Charlie. He is funny. Ella is fun too, but she reads books to me too slowly.”

“Charlotte,” Julia muttered under her breath. “You should not complain about Ella’s reading. You are very lucky to have someone to read to you as much as she does.” 

“I’m not complaining, Mama,” Charlotte retorted. “James just needs to know.” 

“What else does James need to know?” Julia questioned as she began to trace patterns on Charlotte’s shoulder as the little girl tried to hide another yawn. 

“We also have a Mama and a Papa, James. We’ve always had our Mama,” Charlotte paused as she squeezed Julia’s hand. “But, our Papa, he’s new. He makes Mama very happy. She laughs more now.” 

Julia stopped her tracing of Charlotte’s shoulder as she allowed her daughter’s words to sink in.

“Papa can be very silly sometimes, he always still gets lost and he cannot speak any French.” Charlotte added exasperatedly. “Oh, and Mama and Papa always take a really long time to get ready to go anywhere. They are always kissing.” Charlotte turned her head upwards to meet Julia’s gaze. “You will just have to get used to that, James,” she explained as she shuffled upwards and into Julia’s waiting embrace, tucking her face into the crook of Julia’s neck. 

“I love you, Mama,” Charlotte whispered softly. 

Julia took a small breath inwards. “I love you, too,” she whispered back as she pressed a kiss into Charlotte’s curls. “And, I am very proud of you, too. James is very lucky to have a big sister like you.” Julia added as she rubbed her daughter’s back softly. 

She could feel Charlotte beginning to fall asleep in her arms. She reached down to the sand with one hand and picked up the towel which Charlotte had discarded. She gently placed it over the three of them. “We like the sun,” she murmured. “But not sunburn,” she joked as Charlotte began to snore softly. 

Julia cuddled Charlotte close to her side and placed her other hand over her stomach, protecting both of her babies as she once again allowed her eyes to close. 


	3. It's Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Julia sighed. She should have known better than to think she could keep anything from David. Moving from his grasp, she reached for the bedside table, handing David the paper bag she had gotten from the market soon after he and Charlotte had left._
> 
> _“What’s th--” David trailed off as he shook the pregnancy test look from the bag. His eyes flew to Julia’s as he turned the test over. “Is this …?”_
> 
> _“It is,” Julia nodded slowly, biting down on her bottom lip as she confirmed David’s suspicions._
> 
> _David’s eyes widened as he threw his arms around Julia, squeezing her as she began to unexpectedly laugh._
> 
> _“Julia! You really are?” He asked, pulling back from their embrace. “Just like that?”_
> 
> _Julia rolled her eyes slightly._
> 
> _“I really am. Just like that,” she said, echoing his words with a smirk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The last chapter of the holiday adventures of Charlotte and her family. 
> 
> Kris, Charlotte has finally woken up from her nap! Happy, happy birthday again and we hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has been so lovely to both of us about this story. We have great fun writing together, so it is always nice to know it is enjoyed by others too! 
> 
> 💜

Julia smiled tiredly at her reflection in the mirror. She carefully applied a coat of light coloured lipstick and then brushed her palms down the front of her navy blue sundress. Her shower and subsequent nap in their air conditioned villa had managed to cool her down to a more pleasant temperature after their long day outdoors. When they had returned from the beach earlier, she had been exhausted and David had been wonderful at wrangling all three children off for another adventure, leaving her alone for just over an hour to sleep peacefully, without their small, energetic daughter wanting to climb all over her. 

When the four of them had returned, Charlotte had been bouncing with excitement. She had proudly announced that they had a surprise for Julia, and once the girl had her afternoon nap, the fun was to commence. It was the first time in a long time that Charlotte had gone to sleep so willingly. 

Julia left the bathroom and headed back into the main bedroom in search of a pair of appropriate shoes, just as Charlotte appeared. “Mama!” she cried out excitedly as Julia raised her head towards her. “Are you ready yet?” she questioned as she clambered onto the bed. 

Julia chuckled as she took in Charlotte’s appearance. The little girl was still wearing her yellow sunglasses from earlier, but she had changed into a little sunflower dress and her hair was braided into two plaits, positioned perfectly on either side of her face. Julia assumed the hair must have been Ella’s work, especially given the little yellow bows on the end of either braid. 

“Little love,” Julia said happily. “You look beautiful.” 

“Thank you, Mama,” Charlotte responded quickly. “You look very nice, too.” She added as the two of them were interrupted by another voice.

“Charlotte,” Ella called as she entered the bedroom. “You can’t go anywhere without your shoes!” she exclaimed as she held a pair of white sandals towards her little sister. 

Charlotte shook her head. “But Ella,” she protested. “If I have shoes, I can’t do this,” she added with a wide grin on her face as she began to jump up and down on the end of the bed vigorously, bursting into a fit of giggles.

“What if I did this?” the older girl questioned as she leapt onto the bed, catching Charlotte mid-air as the two of them fell into the middle of the mattress. Ella began to tickle Charlotte under the chin and soon the room was filled with Charlotte’s loud laughter.

“Mama! Aides-moi!” Charlotte pleaded as she attempted to wriggle out from Ella’s grasp. 

Julia smiled happily at Ella as she sat down on the end of the bed. She reached out for Charlotte’s ankle and closed her fingers around it just as Ella stopped her tickling. Julia pulled Charlotte towards her and the little girl ended up happily settled in her lap. 

“Thank you, Mama!” Charlotte exclaimed as she pressed a sloppy kiss into Julia’s neck. 

Ella chuckled as she crawled towards the two of them, holding out one of her hands and wriggling her fingers. Charlotte shook her head fiercely. “No, Ella,” she protested as she placed her hands protectively over Julia’s stomach. “No more tickling. You can’t tickle baby James.” 

“I can still tickle you though!” Ella replied with a smirk as she crawled closer to Julia and Charlotte. 

Julia laughed as Charlotte buried her head into her neck and instead of reaching out to tickle Charlotte, Ella kissed her on the ankle instead. 

Charlotte raised her head from her mother’s neck and smiled at Ella warmly. She wriggled carefully as she moved to sit between Ella and Julia, one of her hands still resting upon her mother’s stomach. “Mama?” she said softly, her brow furrowed in thought. 

“Yes, Little Lotte?” Julia answered as she leaned down to run her fingers over one of Charlotte’s braids. 

“How did my brother get in there?” she questioned innocently as she poked her index finger into Julia’s stomach. 

Julia paused a moment. She had known Charlotte would eventually ask this question, and she thought she would be more prepared. But, alas, Charlotte -- like always -- had taken her by surprise. 

“When Mamas and Papas love one another,” Julia explained and then paused as she and Ella made eye contact over the top of Charlotte’s head. 

“They do a lot of kissing?” Charlotte interrupted as she rolled her eyes, thinking of all the kissing she had seen her Mama and Papa do over the last year. 

“Yes, they do,” Julia answered quickly as she continued. “And when they love one another ---”

“I was in there, too, Mama?” Charlotte questioned as she interrupted her mother again. 

“Yes, you were,” Julia replied as she squeezed Charlotte’s shoulder, grateful for her daughter’s interruption to her own question. 

“Do you know how babies get in tummies, Ella?” Charlotte asked as she turned her attention to her big sister. Her Mama was taking entirely too long to answer her question and she was getting a little bored. Ella always had the answers Charlotte wanted. Thank goodness for big sisters.

Ella’s mouth dropped open, but she managed to collect herself before Charlotte noticed. “I do,” Ella answered. “But I’m older than you... When you are my age, you will know, too.” 

Charlotte frowned. 

“That will take  _ forever, _ ” she protested. 

“Hey! I’m not  _ that _ old!” Ella exclaimed.

Charlotte sighed loudly as she attempted to reach out for Ella. She had noticed her big sister staring at her as if she was about to start tickling her again. This time, she was determined to get in first. She would ask questions about babies later. She paused for just a moment, waiting for the best time to make her move and when Ella seemed to be looking the other way, she leapt from her Mama’s side and onto Ella, her little fingers reaching out to tickle her sister quickly. She squealed as Ella began to giggle, but that made her all the more determined to tickle her more as Julia watched on with a grin.

David had not meant to fall asleep, but while he and Charlie had been attempting to work out how to operate the French television, the two of them had each begun to doze on the couch. A day of swimming and chasing after an overly exuberant Charlotte was enough to exhaust even the most fit of humans. He stretched carefully as he yawned, making sure to not wake his sleeping son, who seemed to have turned a bright shade of pink while the two of them had been napping. 

He reached out and placed his open palm on Charlie’s forehead; he was warm, but not too warm. It seemed his son had managed to obtain a particularly harsh sunburn, despite his use of sunscreen on the beach today. He stood from the couch and fetched his son a glass of water and a packet of his favourite cheese biscuits from the kitchen. He then returned and placed the glass and the unopened packet beside Charlie on the side table. 

He wanted to make sure that Charlie had some aloe vera to soothe his sunburn and he thought he remembered Julia packing some in her bag at home. He heard the distinct sound of giggling coming from the bedroom upstairs, and with one last check on Charlie, he turned and headed toward the sound. 

He stopped inside the doorway and smiled when he saw the scene. Julia had begun to stand as Charlotte and Ella were entangled in a ball of giggling arms and legs in the middle of the bed. He could see that his youngest had clearly been the instigator. 

“Are you okay?” Julia questioned as she noticed him enter the bedroom.

He nodded toward her as he moved to her side, kissing her softly. His lips gently pressed against hers, as he reached down and gently stroked the swell of her stomach. “I’m fine,” he reassured Julia. “I just need the medicine bag,” he explained as Julia raised a questioning eyebrow. “Charlie Bear,” he began, using his old nickname for his son. “He’s got himself a nasty case of sunburn.” 

He caught himself using the name and sighed. Charlie had recently declared he was too old to be called that. But old habits seemed hard to break. 

“It’s beside the basin,” Julia told him as she and David continued to ignore the girls who were still wriggling about in a pile of flailing limbs. 

“Thank you,” David answered as he headed for the bathroom. 

“Papa!” Charlotte cried out from underneath Ella as she attempted to squirm out of her sister’s grasp. “Help!”

David turned to look at Charlotte, and he stepped back to be beside Julia. One of his hands came to rest upon one of her arms. He smiled as Julia naturally leaned into his embrace. 

“You’re on your own for this one, little one,” he told her matter of factly, hearing Julia laugh as the two of them watched Charlotte successfully move herself away from Ella. Charlotte leaped from the bed and down onto the floor, running towards her parents quickly. 

She stopped in front of the two of them and stared at them suspiciously. “Papa,” she began, her face lighting up as if she had suddenly had an idea. “Can you tell me how my brother got in there?” she questioned as she reached for her father’s hand, placing it on her Mama’s stomach. 

David paled for a moment. He had not been expecting a question like this for a little longer yet. He looked at Julia, to see if she was as taken aback as he was. Her face, however, did not look surprised. 

“Did you put her up to this?” he questioned Ella, as he noticed the smirk on his older daughter's face. 

Charlotte shook her head and reached for the hem of David’s shirt, tugging insistently. David turned his attention to her. “Ella said I have to wait until I am as old as she is,” Charlotte explained. “But, that will take forevvvvvver,” she whined. 

“Maybe your Mama and I,” David began, “can talk to you about that at dinner,” he reasoned, trying to by himself time. 

“Papa!” Charlotte exclaimed and David stared at her with concern. “Dinner was meant to be a surprise!” she reminded him as she slapped an open palm on her forehead in exasperation. 

David turned to look at Julia apologetically. 

“I didn’t hear anything,” she reassured her daughter as she leaned down to kiss her little forehead. 

“You’re lucky, Papa,” Charlotte warned. “You have to be more careful with secrets,” she added, shaking her head. 

“Yes, Dad,” Ella piped up from behind her sister, a huge, teasing smile upon her face. “You should be more careful,” she joked sarcastically. 

David shook his head and rolled his eyes at the pair of them. 

“Ella,” Charlotte questioned as she left her parents and stepped back toward her sister. “Are you sure you can’t come with us?”

“I’m sure,” Ella answered quickly. “You go and have fun with your Mama and Papa,” she reassured, reaching out to fix the stray hairs of Charlotte’s braids that had come loose while the two of them had been playing. “It will be nice for me to have some time just with Charlie, and we can talk to our friends back home.” 

“Oh!” Charlotte cried. “You mean your friend, Vinnie! I heard you talking to him earlier today!” 

Ella blushed profusely, staring at Charlotte angrily. “You can’t keep secrets either, Charlotte!” 

Julia felt David tense beside her and she reached out to rub his arm reassuringly. 

“Who’s Vinnie?” David questioned, turning his focus to Ella.

Ella shook her head with a sigh. “Thanks, Lotte,” she murmured under her breath. 

“He’s just my friend, Dad.”

“Boyfriend?” He asked quickly, his accent thickening. Julia watched him curiously. She knew that tone.

“No, Dad,” Ella explained. “He is just my friend... who happens to be a boy.” 

David stood silent for a moment, thinking over his daughter’s words, and Julia took this as her chance to step in. “Ella,” she said. “Why don’t you grab the painkillers and the sunburn cream and go check that Charlie is okay?” She suggested.

Ella nodded, grateful for Julia’s interruption. The teenager moved quickly through the bedroom, into the bathroom and then disappeared without a second look back. 

David began to pace the room as Julia turned her head to look at Charlotte. “Little love,” she began, “You need to go and apologise to Ella. You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on her conversations.” 

Charlotte sighed loudly. “But, Mama...” she protested. 

Julia shook her head. “No buts, off you go.” Charlotte sighed again, but she did as she was told and Julia heard her daughter call for her oldest sibling. She hoped the teenager would be in a forgiving mood. 

“A boyfriend!” David exclaimed from beside Julia. There had been no boyfriends around when he still lived in London. There were a thousand questions running around his head, namely did Vicky know about this?

“A friend!” Julia reassured as she placed both of her hands on either side of his shoulders. “She is allowed to have friends.” 

“Not 16 year old boy friends,” David protested as Julia shook her head at him once more. “I was a 16 year old boy once,” he reminded Julia with a slight shudder. Julia laughed.

“And I was a 16 year old girl,” Julia said as she leaned in to kiss him softly. “You need to trust her,” she mumbled into his lips. “And maybe keep her away from airplane bathrooms.” 

David raised his eyebrows in shock as he tilted his head backwards. “She has to go home on a plane to London!” he reminded Julia. 

“So,” Julia began. “Tell Charlie to stick to her like glue. He will love that.” 

“I guess…” David said, his voice trailing off as he realized what she had said a moment ago. “Wait, airplane bathrooms? Julia!” 

Julia chuckled as she leaned in to peck at David’s nose. “It’s too bad I’m not our daughter. I can keep a secret.” 

David frowned. “You’ll tell me later though?”

Julia shrugged. “That all depends,” she teased reaching for his hand. “Come on, you,” she added. “I hear we’ve got a dinner to get to!”  
  


Julia stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching as David held Charlotte’s hands in his own, helping her jump over the waves as they broke at the shoreline. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched them playing and laughing together. 

She couldn’t believe David had been forced to miss out on so much of Charlotte’s childhood because of her going into hiding. She frowned, letting her palm wander down to her swollen stomach. It wouldn’t be like that with James. David was here with them. And they would get to care for their child together from the start. She smiled, kneeling down as Charlotte and David had turned and were making their way to where she stood watching them, her toes buried in the sand at the edge of the water. 

But instead of Charlotte running into her arms like she had expected, the little girl raced past her, her arms flung open wide as she chased a group of seagulls that had taken up residence on the empty beach with them. 

“Des oiseaux!” Charlotte cried out, and Julia stood again, chuckling as David approached her. 

“You know, when I pictured a little version of you and me running around with a mass of wild curls, I never imagined her being fluent in French,” David teased, leaning forward and kissing Julia’s cheek. 

“I knew French when I was small, too,” she told him matter-of-factly. “My mother thought it would make me more well-rounded,” she explained, seeing the surprised look on his face. “And she spent her summers here as a young adult.”

David was thoughtful for a minute. 

“I like that there are still things I still don’t know about you,” he said with a little nudge to her shoulder, and Julia laughed. 

“Does it make me more mysterious?” She asked with a grin, and David nodded. 

“Yes, that’s definitely it,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her lips with a smirk. 

When Julia pulled away, her eyes went to Charlotte again and where she was slowly trying to sneak up on another group of the unsuspecting birds. She smiled as she leaned back into David’s embrace, his arms coming to rest around her middle with his palms pressing flat against her stomach. 

The sun was just beginning to set, and he looked out at the water, breathing in the salty sea air before he nuzzled his nose into Julia’s neck. She always smelled good, and he never grew tired of breathing in her scent, even after all this time. 

“Dinner went well,” Julia commented, her eyes still following Charlotte who was growing frustrated at the lack of cooperation from her new bird friends and their unwillingness to let her get close before they flew away. 

“Aye,’ David agreed. “I’m glad babies didn’t come up in the conversation,” he said quickly. “I was a bit nervous about that.” 

They had settled for a pizza place off the beaten path of the town centre at Charlotte’s request. He had waited with bated breath for their daughter to bring up her favorite topic of late, her baby brother. But she had either been too distracted by the pizza or by the live music coming from the square that she hadn’t brought it up. 

Julia smirked. 

“Surely you had that talk with Ella and Charlie,” she reminded him, and David shook his head quickly. 

“I have, but that doesn’t mean I want to revisit it again any time soon,” he was quick to point out, making Julia chuckle at him. 

“David, are you blushing?” She asked him, turning to look up at him with an arched brow. 

He continued to stare out at the sea, watching as the setting sun cast a reflection of light on the water, coloring it in shades of oranges and pinks. 

“Can you believe we’re really here?” He asked, changing the subject without comment, and Julia smirked at how obviously uncomfortable he had been with the previous topic. “And I don’t mean here in Villefranche. I mean here, together, six years after an explosion that was meant to kill you… but we’re happy and in love, with two children…”

His fingertips ghosted lightly against the skin of Julia’s stomach as he looked over to see that Charlotte had settled for drawing in the sand with her fingers when she was not successful in her quest to make seagull friends. 

“I really can’t believe the two children part,” Julia said laughing, and David chuckled along with her. 

“I know..” 

_ Julia stared down at the test in her hands, feeling herself grow light headed as the second line appeared next to the first. According to the test, that meant she was …  _

_ Pregnant.  _

_ Again.  _

_ She glanced at her watch, looking at the date. It had been less than two months since she and David had had their discussion about maybe trying again for another baby. She had never expected it to be so … easy, at her age. But then again, she and David had provided ample opportunity during the last couple of months.  _

_ And then she had started feeling sick. And tired. And her emotions had been all over the place lately. She frowned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy about this. The idea of having another of David’s children was something that she had never expected, but it was also something she was excited to experience with him. Her fingers came to rest over her still-flat stomach.  _

_ She was grateful that David and Charlotte were out for the afternoon. It would give her time to figure out the best way to tell him. Though, realistically, she should wait until she’d seen a doctor to tell David. That seemed like the smartest approach. This could be very precarious. And they would have to be very careful. _

_ Deciding that she would call her obstetrician in the morning to make an appointment, she resolved to wait until she knew more before she told David. Placing the positive test in a bag and going into the bedroom, she placed it in her bedside table, shoving it to the back of the drawer.  _

_ An hour later, Julia heard the door open and she placed her book down on the bedside table. She had found herself stroking her stomach absentmindedly from time to time as she was reading, and caught herself smiling. She sighed. She was already attached to this baby, feeling a connection instantly like she had with Charlotte, though the circumstances then had been quite different.  _

_ Hearing David coming down the hall, Julia took a deep breath.  _

_ ‘Wait, Julia. It will be better to wait,’ she told herself.  _

_ “Hi, love!” David called out, entering the bedroom. Finding her on the bed, he made his way over to her, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.  _

_ “Hello! Did you and Lotte have a nice time?” she asked, smiling up at him. She had fully expected Charlotte to be following at David’s heels after spending the day with him. “Aren’t you … missing something? Or a little someone?”  _

_ David laughed, kicking off his shoes before climbing into their bed with Julia.  _

_ “She fell asleep on the tram on the way home,” David told her, cuddling up next to her. “I carried her to her room for a nap before I came in.” _

_ Julia nodded slowly, smiling as David’s hand began to trail up her thigh slowly, his motives obvious. _

_ “Tell me about your day,” she said with a chuckle as his fingers slid higher.  _

_ David groaned.  _

_ “Julia, I’m trying to do something here…” he pointed out, practically whining.  _

_ “Tell me about your day,” Julia repeated, placing her hand over his. David sighed. _

_ “It was nice,” he said with a little smile. “We went out for lunch at a cafe, and then went shopping. One of the department stores we went into even had a photo booth.”  _

_ Rolling onto his side, he pulled a strip of photos out of his pocket, handing them to Julia.  _

_ “Charlotte demanded to keep the other half,” he told her, laughing. What Charlotte wanted, Charlotte got. They both knew that. _

_ Looking down at the photos of the curly-haired little girl gazing adoringly up at David, them making funny faces together, and Charlotte pressing her little lips tightly to his cheek, Julia felt herself growing emotional and pressed her fingers to her lips.  _

_ David looked at Julia, suddenly concerned by her reaction. _

_ “Julia?” he asked. “What’s wrong?” _

_ “Nothing,” she murmured, blinking slowly a few times before she turned to look at him, offering him a smile.  _

_ “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, frowning.  _

_ Julia sighed. She should have known better than to think she could keep anything from David. Moving from his grasp, she reached for the bedside table, handing David the paper bag she had gotten from the market soon after he and Charlotte had left.  _

_ “What’s th--” David trailed off as he shook the pregnancy test look from the bag. His eyes flew to Julia’s as he turned the test over. “Is this …?” _

_ “It is,” Julia nodded slowly, biting down on her bottom lip as she confirmed David’s suspicions.  _

_ David’s eyes widened as he threw his arms around Julia, squeezing her as she began to unexpectedly laugh.  _

_ “Julia! You really are?” He asked, pulling back from their embrace. “Just like that?”  _

_ Julia rolled her eyes slightly.  _

_ “I really am. Just like that,” she said, echoing his words with a smirk.  _

_ Leaning forward, Julia kissed him lightly, her lips pressing against his for just a minute.  _

_ “I want to check with a doctor before we tell the children,” she told him. “I was going to wait to tell you, too,” she admitted.  _

_ “Let’s just hope you’re better at keeping secrets the second time around,” he teased, and Julia shoved him lightly. _

_ “I just want to make sure everything is alright,” she said, reaching down and clasping his hand in her own, interweaving their fingers. “I’ll call Dr. Bisset in the morning.”  _

_ David nodded, reaching out and stroking her face with one hand.  _

_ “Are you happy, love?” He asked, suddenly feeling nervous about her answer. He knew it was his idea to have another baby, but he hoped she was feeling as excited as he was. _

_ Julia nodded. _

_ “I’ve been sitting here for the past hour imagining our future,” she told him, her fingers returning to her flat stomach. “You, me, and our babies living here in France, building a life together.” _

_ She felt David’s hand cover hers and looked down with a smile before her eyes returned to his.  _

_ “I love you, Julia,” he whispered, his lips coming to capture her own.  _

_ Her smile brightened.  _

_ “I love you, David,” she paused. “Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?” She asked curiously and David shrugged.  _

_ “It doesn’t matter to me, as long as he or she is healthy,” he said, “but I think our wild child would love the idea of a little brother.”  _

_ Julia wrinkled her nose.  _

_ “You’re right,” she said thoughtfully. “She certainly would.” _

The two of them grew quiet and David leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss against Julia’s temple. 

“David?” She asked quietly, her voice suddenly small. “I have a confession…”

“Alright….?” David said slowly, suddenly feeling nervous as she turned to face him. 

“We had dinner tonight, just the three of us. No one recognised me. We were able to eat in peace and quiet,” Julia explained, the idea of being unrecognisable still sat awkwardly with her. 

“Relative peace and quiet,” David reminded her. “We do have a wild daughter to contend with.”

“But the rest of the world...” she continued, ignoring David’s interruption. “They still think that I am dead.” 

“Aye, they do,” David agreed quietly. “But I thought you were okay with that? It means that we are able to live free of what happened in the past and we can travel to beautiful places like this and enjoy our life together.” He paused for a moment. “Have you changed your mind?” 

“Maybe? I don’t know. I think I thought I was okay with what we had decided,” Julia confessed before she continued. “But I also think I’m afraid this is all going to end,” she said quietly. “I don’t know how to be this lucky. That after all this time, and everything we’ve been through, we get to do this together… I’m just waiting for something to go wrong. For me to wake up and realize none of this ever really happened.” 

David shook his head, his hands coming to rest on her hips and pulling her closer to his body. 

“It’s all real,” he reassured her, reaching out and stroking her face gently. “This is our life now. Together” 

The corner of Julia’s lips quirked upward suddenly. David recognized the look almost instantly.

“Why don’t you take me home, Mr. Budd?” she asked, her voice low. “You can show me that it’s not a dream…” 

David looked around quickly, suddenly feeling the immense need to return to their villa immediately. Julia smirked knowingly.

“Charlotte!” He called out, watching as the little girls’ head popped up, her wild mass of curls blowing in the wind. “Time to go!” 

They both watched as the little girl bounded up to them, throwing herself into David’s arms as he lifted her to his chest. 

“Mama?” Charlotte began, looking up at the sky, then back at Julia. “I want to fly like the birds.”

Julia glanced over at David and smiled, leaning forward to press her lips to the little girl’s forehead. 

“Little love, you can do anything you want to do,” Julia said. “But flying may require an airplane,” she said with a chuckle, ruffling the girl’s hair before they began to walk back to their villa together, David holding Charlotte with one hand and clasping Julia’s with his other.   
  


By the time they arrived back at the villa, David could tell that Charlotte had grown sleepy. She had managed to tuck her face underneath his chin and every so often he could feel her yawn against his neck.

He smiled at Julia as she held the door open for the two of them, and he kissed her cheek softly as he stepped in beside her. She checked to make sure that the door was locked. 

Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table, scrolling on his phone, and his head raised to look at them as they entered the room. David smiled towards his son. 

“Hey, Charlie,” he said, speaking quietly as not to wake Charlotte.

“How was dinner?” Charlie asked as he returned David’s smile. 

“Delicious,” Charlotte answered sleepily from David’s arms. “I had three slices of pizza, Charlie!” she mumbled, her head never moving.

“I thought you were asleep!” David exclaimed as he turned to look at the little girl the best he could.

“No, Papa. I’m still awake,” Charlotte replied, attempting to hide another yawn behind her hand. 

Julia shook her head. 

“Not for long, Lotte,” Julia reminded her, holding out one of her palms toward Charlotte. “I think we’d better get you ready for bed.” 

Charlotte wrinkled her nose and turned to look at David. She attempted to drop her bottom lip into her chin but David pretended to ignore her. Instead, he slowly lowered her to the ground.

“I will come and read you your bedtime story,” he promised as Charlotte slowly wandered over to where Julia was standing. 

Charlotte sighed dramatically. 

“Don’t forget, Papa,” she reminded him before she turned to Julia. “Mama,” she began as they walked up the stairs together. “Can I wear my sunglasses to bed?”

David chuckled as he watched Julia and Charlotte before he turned back to regard his son carefully.

“How’s the sunburn?” he questioned in concern.

Charlie shrugged. 

“Not so bad. I stood in front of the open fridge for awhile,” he said, grinning widely. “It felt great.” 

David chuckled at his son’s honesty. 

“Whatever works,” he mumbled, looking around and seeing no sign of Ella. “Where’s your sister?” 

“In her room,” Charlie said, rolling his eyes. “Talking to Vinnieeeee,” he said, drawing out the name in exaggeration. David bristled at the mention of the boy he had discussed with Julia earlier, but sighed, trying to keep calm. He would go and read Charlotte her bedtime story tonight, and then look in on Ella. There was definitely a talk they needed to have before their trip was over. But not tonight.

“It’s getting late, Charlie Bear,” he said, the name for his son slipping from his lips before he could stop it. He noticed Charlie's grimace. “Sorry,” he apologized. “But it is getting late, and you should probably think about bed. We have a busy day tomorrow.” 

Charlie nodded without much protest, slipping his phone in his pocket as he stood up. “See you in the morning, Dad,” he said, offering a little wave before he turned, heading down the hall. 

David watched him go for a moment, unable to believe how much of a man his son was quickly becoming. The thought of doing it all over again with James was both exciting and terrifying. Listening out for Charlotte and Julia upstairs and being met with silence, he decided he should go up to get story time started. 

Julia pulled back the duvet of Charlotte’s bed and smiled as her daughter climbed underneath the covers. She had managed to convince Charlotte that even though she looked lovely in her yellow sunglasses, she did not need to wear them to bed. A compromise had been reached that Charlotte’s sunglasses could rest beside her on the bedside table so that they would be there when the little girl awoke the next morning. 

“Mama,” Charlotte said quietly as she patted the side of the bed. “There is room for you and James here. Your tummy is not that big.” 

Julia laughed.

“Yet,” she added as she snuggled in next to Charlotte, rubbing her daughter’s hand. “My tummy is not that big _ yet _ .” 

Charlotte looked at her with wide eyes.

“It’s going to get bigger?” she questioned, her excitement obvious.

Julia nodded.

“Most definitely,” Julia answered. “Just before you were born,” she paused as she held her arms out wide. “It was this big!”

Charlotte shook her head and cuddled into Julia’s side.

“You and Papa are going to need a bigger bed, I think...”

“We are all going to need a bigger house,” David answered as he appeared in the doorway, smiling as Julia and Charlotte turned to look at him. “Did you choose a story for me to read?” he asked as he walked over to the bed, squeezing himself onto the end next to Julia so their thighs were touching.

Charlotte shook her head. 

“I’d like a real story,” Charlotte told him with a smile. 

“A real story?” Julia asked, pretending she was not sure what story Charlotte was asking for. 

“Yes, the story of how you and Papa met, Mama,” Charlotte explained with a little sigh. “That’s my favourite story.”

“Oh!” Julia exclaimed, reaching down to tickle one of Charlotte’s feet under the duvet. “That story!” she added as she winked at David, as if to remind him it was his turn to tell it this time. 

“Lotte, you’ve heard that story a million times!” he said with a grin, moving closer to Julia on the edge of their daughter’s little bed. 

The little girl shrugged. 

“I would like to hear it again, Papa,” Charlotte said in a matter-of-fact voice that reminded David so much of Julia, he did a double take. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“Alright, for the million and first time, I’ll tell you the story of how your Mama and I met.”

Charlotte burrowed further into her sheets, reaching out and running her fingers over Julia’s stomach lightly. 

“You have to add James this time,” she reminded David, and Julia smiled, her hand coming to rest on the little girl’s, stroking it gently as David began to speak.

“Well, Charlotte, there was a personal protection officer on a train from Scotland to London one night in October many, many years ago. He was with his small children, Ella and Charlie --” 

“Hey! What about me?” Charlotte cried out, her brow furrowed, and David and Julia both laughed at her sudden dislike of being left out.

“You weren’t born yet, little love,” Julia reminded her patiently, and Charlotte grinned sheepishly, realizing her Mama was right. 

“Oh,” she said, burrowinging further under her covers. “Sorry, Papa. Go on.”

Julia shot David a look as she turned away from their daughter to hide her laughter. Charlotte  was never one to want to miss out on anything. She came by that honestly. 

“But there was a bad lady on the train,” David started again. “And she wanted to hurt a lot of people. But the police officer found her, and talked her out of it. People were so glad that everyone was okay, especially his boss, and he got a promotion at work. They gave him a really important job to do.”

He glanced over to Julia, reaching out and squeezing her hand at that part.

“So, he got assigned to protect the Home Secretary!” He said dramatically, and Julia couldn’t help the smile that came over her features as she remembered their own story and that first day they had met outside the Home Office.

David leaned forward conspiratorially. 

“The Home Secretary was  _ very _ pretty, Lotte,” he told her, his voice an exaggerated whisper as he squeezed Julia’s hand in his again as Charlotte’s gaze went from her father to her mother and then back again with a bright smile as she nodded. “But she could be a  _ little _ grumpy sometimes,” he whispered, his voice dropping lower as if he were sharing a secret with only the curly haired girl.

“David...” Julia warned, fixing him with a glare that made him chuckle. 

“Sorry,” he said to her with a little shrug before he leaned down to Charlotte. “See?  _ Grumpy, _ ” he said, his face lighting up as Charlotte giggled, covering her mouth with her little hand. 

“Why were you grumpy, Mama?” She asked after a moment, looking up at Julia expectantly, her blue eyes wide. 

“I was not grumpy!” Julia protested quickly. “But your Papa knew how to push all of my buttons,” she told the little girl. “And he enjoyed doing it. So I got …  _ frustrated _ with him sometimes.”

Julia paused for a moment. 

“There is a difference,” she said pointedly to David, her stare fading to a smile as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. 

“I know, love,” he told her quickly. “I’m just teasing you.”

Julia leaned back into his embrace, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The sun had really taken it out of her today, and she was suddenly feeling very tired. She allowed her eyes to close as David continued to tell their story, adding in little things and details to make it different than all the other times he had told it. 

“Your Mama and Papa slowly settled into somewhat of a routine. Your Mama got less frustrated with me,” he explained as he used his fingers to make air quotes around the word Julia had corrected him with.

“And your Papa was less annoying… sometimes,” Julia whispered softly, her eyes still closed. 

David smirked as he tilted his head down to press against Julia’s temple before he continued.

“But, the bad people were not finished being bad,” David explained, pausing for a moment. This was the part of the story that he and Julia always struggled to explain to Charlotte. Both of them knew that she would one day need to know the truth about Thornton Circus and St. Matthews, but for the time being they had jointly decided that there were things Charlotte did not need to know just yet. They would save that for later.

“Then you and Mama became friends,” Charlotte supplied, filling in the pause in the story that her father had left.

David nodded.

“Your Mama and I became friends,” he repeated as he reached down to rub Julia’s stomach. “Mama couldn’t stay at her nice flat anymore, so we needed to move into a fancy hotel.”

“The Blackwood!” Charlotte announced proudly.

David laughed.

“Aye, who is telling this story?” he questioned the little girl as she grinned at him.

“Can I finish it?” Charlotte questioned her father.

“Of course,” David answered with a nod of his head. 

Charlotte yawned quietly before she picked up where her father had left off.

“Then Mama had to leave London for a long time, and she came to France where she had me!” Charlotte explained. “We had lots of fun together,” she announced happily, turning her head to look at her mother. 

Julia, however, did not answer, as she had fallen asleep.

“Then one day,” Charlotte continued her voice now barely above a whisper, “Papa, you found us at the cafe, and then we went to the park where you kissed Mama.” 

David nodded at the memory. 

“I was  _ very  _ surprised at the kissing,” Charlotte reminded her father with a smirk. “I think I am almost used to it now.”

David raised an eyebrow at his daughter, a motion she mimicked back at him before she grew serious.

“Papa,” Charlotte whispered softly. “Mama needs to go to bed,” she explained. “She is almost asleep.” 

“Don’t you want to finish the story?” David questioned as he gently nudged Julia awake. 

Charlotte shook her head as her mother opened her eyes and blinked a few times. 

“It’s okay,” Charlotte answered. “I know how it ends,” she reminded her parents, who both smiled at her happily. “We are all together now, and I am going to have a baby brother soon, too.” 

Julia leaned down to kiss Charlotte’s tiny cheek, wishing her sweet dreams. 

“We are,” David agreed as he kissed Charlotte’s other cheek and then carefully climbed from the tiny bed, stopping to stand beside it. 

Julia followed David’s movements as she too extricated herself from the bed. She stood next to David and both of them watched as Charlotte wriggled to make herself comfortable. 

“Good night, Mama. Good night, Papa,” Charlotte whispered. “Je t'aime,” she added with a little smile. “Oh!” She said, her eyes popping open again. “I almost forgot… good night, little James.”

David leaned down and placed another kiss on Charlotte’s forehead, before he stood to his full height and draped an arm over Julia’s shoulders.

“Good night, little love,” Julia whispered, leaning into David’s side. The pair of them watched for a few seconds as Charlotte’s eyes fluttered closed. 

“Je t’aime,” David whispered into Julia’s ear softly, before he tilted his head so that their lips could meet in a soft kiss. 

“Papa!” Charlotte exclaimed, surprising both of her parents. “I said bed,” she added in exasperation. “Not more kissing!” 

David and Julia both laughed at their daughter’s frustration before they snuck one last look at her and then headed out of her room, hand in hand. 

“I’m going to go check on Charlie and Ella,” he told her quietly. He looked over at her, smiling at how tired she obviously still was. “Why don’t you go on and get ready for bed? I’ll be in soon.”

Julia gave a faint “mmmhmmm” of agreement before she disappeared down the hall to their room while David headed downstairs to say good night to his grown-up children.  
  


David finally made it to their bedroom a few minutes later, and paused in the doorway as he watched Julia. She was on the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking out at the city lights. He smiled. He could tell by her relaxed posture that she was happy, and he was grateful they had been able to get away when they did. 

Coming up behind Julia quietly, he reached out for her hips, pulling her back into his embrace. He smiled as she settled there easily, and he wrapped his arms around her, one over her chest and the other over her gently protruding stomach. 

“What were you thinking about?” He whispered in her ear, leaning forward and placing a kiss behind it, grinning as Julia shuddered slightly in his arms at his action. 

“Mmmm, that’s nice,” she murmured, losing her train of thought at the feel of his lips against her skin as her eyes closed again.

“Julia, what were you thinking about?” He asked again after a moment, removing his warm lips from her skin. 

“Ever since I found out I was pregnant again … I’ve been thinking about my mother a lot,” she admitted, pulling slightly away from his embrace. “We’re here living this beautiful life with Charlotte … with another baby on the way … and for all intents and purposes, my mother still thinks I am dead,” she said softly. She turned to look at David, frowning. 

“Do you … want to change that?” he asked gently after a moment, watching as Julia thought over the answer carefully. “It’s up to you, love. I will support whatever you decide…”

“Would you go with me? To see her?” She asked, suddenly feeling childish in her hesistion.

David squeezed her hand tightly, trying to reassure her. He knew she and her mother hadn’t always had the best relationship. But he thought it might be good for them to fix that now. They had been given an unexpected second chance. One they should take advantage of.

“I would go anywhere with you, love,” he reminded her. 

She was still quiet. 

“But I will tell you that if we are to tell your mother, I also know one very loud, over exuberant Scottish woman who would also love to know that she has two more grandbabies,” he said softly. Julia’s eyes widened. 

David’s mother didn’t know about Charlotte and James either. 

“I think…” she began, choosing her words carefully. “That I would like to consider it. So much time has passed, and so much has happened, surely we can find some new sense of normalcy now. That should include both of our families.”

David nodded. 

“We’ll consider it then, love,” he said softly, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips as she turned in his arms again, facing out toward the sea. 

“This place is heaven,” she murmured. “I can’t imagine being happier than I am at this exact moment,” she said, her voice trailing off. 

“Marry me.” 

His words were quiet, and Julia could tell he was as surprised as she was to hear them, even though they came from his own mouth. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. 

“What did you say?” She asked, and David grinned sheepishly. 

He pulled away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. 

“I didn’t plan this,” he admitted. “I don’t have some big gesture planned out like you deserve…” He groaned. “I don’t even have a ring, Christ! But being here in this moment, it just felt right…. So, I’ll ask you again… Julia, will you marry me?”

Julia’s face broke out into a bright smile. 

“Alright,” she said quickly. “I will.”

David’s eyes widened. 

“Really?” He asked, sounding surprised. “I didn’t totally put my foot in it? You don’t want some romantic, flowery speech about how much you mean to me or how much I love you and want to share my life with you?” 

Julia shrugged. 

“Hearing you say all of those things would be lovely, David,” she assured him. “But I don’t need it. I know how you feel about me. Just like you know how I feel about you. I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life wherever you are. So yes, I will marry you,” she whispered, turning to face him completely, resting a palm on each side of his face as she pulled him in for a kiss. 

David smiled into her embrace as he placed one hand on the small of her back, holding her tight to him. He kissed her until the two of them both became breathless and he gazed at her appreciatively as she moved her head slightly back from his. 

“I love you, too,” he told her, echoing her declaration as she traced one of her fingers along his strong jawline. “Should we go and tell Charlotte that her Mama and Papa are getting married?” He asked with a smirk. 

Julia stared at him and wrinkled her nose.

“Not tonight, I think. She will never sleep,” she said pausing. “But I have other ideas...,” she began as she leaned in and nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth. 

“This is what I meant about you being so frustrating to me.” 

David turned his head to the side. Julia suddenly seemed much more awake and he had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“What did I do?” He questioned, obviously puzzled. 

“Our daughter,” Julia began as she ran her hands down from David’s jawline down to rest on his shoulders, squeezing tightly. “She told you I was tired and should be taken to bed… but she also specifically said no more kissing,” she reminded him, raising both of her eyebrows suggestively. 

David smiled and then nodded, leaning in to peck at her lips quickly. 

“Well, we better keep that part a secret then,” David chuckled. “There is always a lot of kissing in bed... But, I guess, whatever Charlotte wants…”

“Charlotte gets!” Julia answered for him as the two of them chuckled.

“And what do you want, Mrs. Budd?” David asked suggestively, calling her Mrs. Budd for the first time.

Julia was thoughtful for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders. “I think I’d like to be Mrs. Montague-Budd,” she admitted softly.

David nodded toward her. 

“Aye, then that is what you will be,” he announced proudly, before he continued. “Mrs. Montague-Budd, it’s time for me to take you to bed.” 

Julia laughed. 

“Aye, Mr. Budd. It is,” she agreed, taking his hand and pulling him into the bedroom for their own little private celebration. 

If this was what the rest of forever looked like, she thought she liked it very much. 


End file.
